The Mill of the Twelve Crows
by silvyuz
Summary: Being an apprentice at Kosel's Mill doesn't look like a great piece of luck to Alfred anymore,when he starts to realize that said mill and his Master hide to many dark secrets.Will love help him to break free from the cursed mill before it's too late?


This is the first time that I manage to write so much in English! XD I hope that I didn't do too many mistakes! I accept any constructive critic!

Two words about this story : it's based on the novel 'Krabat' by Otfried Preussler. I really love this story, so I decided to adapt it on Hetalia, even if I changed something, so it'll be different from the original story!

FIRST YEAR

The Mill of Kosel's Swamp

It happened between New Year's day and the Twelfth Night. Alfred, a fourteen years old boy, with chestnut and always messed short hair, a pair of blue eyes and self proclaimed hero, decided to join the group of other two young beggars: Matthew, who was just two years younger than Alfred, and Riley, the oldest. Homeless children like them weren't an unusual sight in Europe that time : they wandered the cold and dangerous land of Germany trying to survive, even if the Prince of Saxony proclaimed that it was forbidden to wander like that in his domains ( punishment : heavy sanctions).

Fortunately, the government officials didn't bother too much to grant the Prince's desires, and so lot of people were free to move across the land, and visit any village that they found on the road in order to gain something that would allow them to survive.

This is also the case of Alfred's group : three young boys that tried to survive in this difficult and dangerous world by offering their services, or entertainment with their little show.

For this time of the year, they decided to personify the Three Magi, and in order to look more realistic, they covered their faces and their hair with ash, and Matthew, the younger, held a stick in his tiny hands, on which top Alfred stuck a 'star', symbolizing the Comet.

They visited the many villages and the towns of the country of Hoyerswerda, singing Christmas' songs just to gain something to live . They seldom obtained money, usually the peasants gave them some food like meat, fruits and vegetables , or offered them a shelter for the night. One night, the little group decided to spend the night in the little village of Petershain, in the hay-loft of the blacksmith: it wasn't the cleanest of the places, but was warm enough to protect them from the cold of the blizzard that infuriated outside.. '' Well, we have been lucky to find a place like this!" Alfred happily said, while trying to remove the ash from his chestnut locks. ''I hope that we will be this lucky until New Year's Eve!". The other two boys sighed, and then smiled at the enthusiasm of their companion and said '' We hope it too!".

It was that night that Alfred had the first of a long series of nightmares .

He dreamed of eleven black crows, crouched on a branch of a tree, and they glared at him with their shining red eyes. Their gaze sent a shiver down Alfred's spine, and he noticed that at the end of the branch of the tree, there was a vacant place. Then he heard a hoarse voice, calling for him. ''Alfred! Alfred!". The boy didn't dare to answer, and the voice continued to say '' Come to Schwarzkollm's mill, Alfred, and you won't regret it!" And then, the crows began to fly in circle above Alfred's head, croaking "Listen to what Master said, and comply!" .

In that moment Alfred woke up, with cold sweat soaking his forehead ."Bah, what a strange dream" he thought, his heart still bumping at a quick pace '' Anyway, it's better that I return to sleep: tomorrow will be a hard day!" and went back to sleep.

The next morning, the group decided to reach the next village, Partwitz, in one day , and on the way, Alfred thought of his strange dream and laughed : he was a hero, and heroes couldn't be afraid of some ugly and plucked crows.

But he didn't laugh when that same night, he found himself again in front of the tree, the crows and the hoarse voice still calling for him '' Listen to him, listen to him and comply!". This occurrence began to bother Alfred, and so he began to question the peasants about the existence of a village named Schwarzkollm, or something alike. One of the countrymen remembered to have heard of that village, and explained to him how to eventually reach it '' Listen carefully boy, you just have to follow the route that brings you to the Hoyerswerda's forest, near Leippe: there you will found a village with that name!"

The last day of the year, the Three Magi decided to spend the night in Grossleibniz, not so far away from Leippe. And also that night, like the other previous two, Alfred dreamed again of the voice and the crows.

Eventually, he decided to finally put a stop at that, and decided to follow the orders of the voice, so that he could find the owner, and told him to stop, because that was what a hero would do. At the first lights of the dawn, Alfred decided to leave alone, without waking up his two still sleeping companions… he didn't want to bother them with his problems. He silently left the hay-loft and when he met the wife of the host, he thanked her for their kindness, and asked her to tell goodbye to his two friends for him, because he had to go away alone.

When he reached the Hoyerswerda's forest he lost the right path, and much to his dismay, he was able to found his way out of that labyrinth of trees only after four hours.

In the end, he managed to reach his destination only when the sun was already setting behind the high mountains. Schwarzkollm looked like any ordinary village: houses and hay-lofts (covered by the snow)were set in row along the two sides of the main road ; black smoke escaped from the chimney-tops because of the fire that warmed the inside of the houses, and mixed with the steams of the dung-heaps accumulated near the hay-lofts. The children were joyfully ice-skating on the frozen surface of the pond. Alfred was very tempted to join them, but he decided that was better to find the infamous mill first. He tried to find a sign of the presence of a mill in the village, but he wasn't able to find any. Puzzled, Alfred decided to ask information to an old man who was carrying a bundle of sticks. " Schwarzkollm doesn't have a mill'' he answered . ''And in the vicinity?'' ''Ah! If you mean _that mill…_'' said the old man, pointing a finger behind his shoulder '' there is one at the end of the Kosel's Swamp, near Black Water. But…'' He trailed of, as if he had already said to much. Alfred thanked the man and even offered to help him carrying the bundle of sticks.

The old man accepted gratefully, and when they reached the man's home, before Alfred leaved, the man grabbed the sleeve oh his jacket. ''What's wrong?'' asked Alfred '' My dear boy, you look like a decent sort of person, something that is really rare nowadays, so I want to warn you : avoid Kosel's Swamp, and the mill on the Black Water, it's a very creepy place…'' Alfred flashed him a shining smile and said '' Don't worry old man! I'm a hero, and heroes aren't afraid of anything'' and started to run in the direction that the old man indicated. When he left the village, on his way for the Swamp, the darkness of the night covered the land in their cold embrace, and Alfred began to shiver and tried to stay focused on the road so that he wouldn't lose the path again. The cold wind threw snow in his eyes, and he began to wonder if it would have been better to go back.

''Bah, Heroes are not scared from a little snow and the darkness. I'm not a child anymore!" And continued to follow the road.

For a while, Alfred wandered like a blind in the forest: a thick fog obstructed his already poor sight, and a lot of time passed before being able to reach a meadow. While he was still walking, the fog suddenly cleared, and the cold light of the full moon illuminated the environs. And Alfred was finally able to discern the mill.

It stood before him, crouched in the snow, enormous, dark and menacing like a ferocious animal before springing on his prey.

''Nobody obliges me to go after all…'' thought Alfred. But then he remembered himself that he was an hero, and ashamed for his cowardice, he bravely reached the door of the mill, and knocked.

Nobody answered.

He tried a second time, then a third and a fourth. Nothing. Absolute nothing. Then he tried to pull the door, and it immediately opened, and Alfred entered the building.

A disquieting silence and darkness welcomed him. But at the end of a long corridor, there was a dimly light.

''Where there is light, there will also be people'' he reasoned . Alfred groped his way in the dark, with his arms held before him to help him find eventual obstacles on his way. He finally reached the end of the corridor and noticed that the light came from a fissure of a closed door. His curiosity won the fear and he decided to spy through the little hole.

He saw a black room, illuminated by the light of a red candle on skull, that stand on a large table, which occupied half of the room. Behind the table was sitting a large man, dressed in a black cloak, a large scarf around his taurine neck. His face was very pale, and a black band covered his left eye. He was reading a big, thick book bound in leather, fixed on the table with an iron chain.

Suddenly the mysterious man averted his eye from the book and stared intensely at the door, as if he had already sensed Alfred's presence. His violet eye met Alfred's blue ones, and when the boy felt his eyes burning, he averted the gaze from the room to rub his eyes … and then he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Alfred felt the coldness of the hand seeping through his jacket and his shirt, reaching his skin. He heard a hoarse voice saying '' Finally, there you are!".

Alfred frowned. He knew that voice. He had heard it so many times in his dreams. Alfred turned and stared at the tall man that was reading in the room just few seconds ago.

''Hey, how did you … how…how was that possible? You…you were just sitting there seconds ago! And I'm sure you didn't pass from the door, I would have notice!'' asked Alfred, glaring at the strange man with suspicion. ''And…, wait a moment, are you the creepy guy who spoke in my dreams? If it is so, just stop it, ok? That thing is driving me insane!"

But the tall man didn't seem to have listened to a single word of the boy in front of him. He was still looking at him with sick interest, a devious smile on his lips.

He finally spoke with a solemn voice '' Here I'm the Master. My name is Ivan but you don't need to use it. I simply am the Master, and my word is law. I need a new apprentice, and if you want, you can become one. Do you accept my offer?''

''Yes, I accept'' Alfred heard his voice say. It sounded distant and different, as it wasn't his own. 'What the hell? This guy is creeping me out, I don't want to stay here!' he desperately thought.

''And what shall I taught you? The work of a miller, or …also the _other stuff?'' _Ivan asked again. ''Also…also the other stuff'' answered Alfred, even if he didn't know what that meant. Ivan offered him his right hand ''All right!''.

The moment Alfred grabbed the man's hand, a hollow rumble shook the entire building. It seemed like it came from the depth of the Earth. The whole building trembled like there was an earthquake.

Alfred shouted and tried to break free from the strong grip of his new Master, but the man didn't soften his grip on Alfred's hand. '' The mill!'' he cried with vicious joyce '' now…is working again!"


End file.
